the world financial crisis, terrorism and nuclear weapons. the gop agenda. in their pledge to america, republicans call for repealing health care reform and blocking tax hikes for the wealthy. >> i am sorry for those failings. and apology, the owner of the iowa egg factory oop tells congress, he's sorry -- now. this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, september 23rd, this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, september 23rd, 2010. captioning funded by cbs good morning, everyone on a thursday. good to see you, i'm terrell bruin for betty nguyen this morning. president obama takes the podium later on at the u.n. for his second address to the general assembly. randall pinkston is there with details g. morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, terrell. how are you? he, indeed, president obama will

be here at the united nations in just a few hours with problems at home and flagging poll numbers, the president's address at the u.n. sure to give him awn opportunity to focus on his foreign policy accomplishments and the future. expected to use his speech to remind them how far his he will highlight america's progress in iraq and afghanistan and promote u.s. efforts to kick-start the world economy. the president will defend his attempt to jump-start mid east peace talks after more than two years. also high on the agenda, slowing the spread of nuclear weapons. >> i think he's going to try to keep the world on board to make sure that both iran and north korea are shunned for their defiance of the non-proliferation treaty. >> reporter: but the president is not expected to just talk about his administration's achievements. he will also likely expand on

the wider goals of his administration. >> put simply, the united states is changing the way we do >> reporter: at a u. u.n. anti-poverty summit wednesday, the president unveiled new rules for foreign aid. he vowed to help poorer nations help themselves, rather than just spending money on short-term relief. >> now, let me be clear. the united states of america has been and will remain the global leader in providing assistance. we will not abandon those who depend on us for live-satisfying help. >> reporter: but with america's own poverty rate at an all-time high, he is still under intense pressure to keep america's problems his priority. but this week the emphasis is on foreign policy and this morning the white house is getting some support from russia on its policy from iran. moscow deciding not to send a sophisticated weapons system to iran. terrell? >> randall pinkston at the united nations this morning, thank you. to campaign 2010. republicans are rolling out

their pledge to america today it vows to roll back of the obama agenda and put the government on budgeting. more for you from tara mergener in washington. good morning. >> good morning, terrell. this latest republican agenda less than six weeks before midterm elections. this is a no holds barred campaign aimed at dissatisfied voters, one the gop hopes the lead to the majority in congress. congressional republicans got their first full look at the pledge to america yesterday. it's a wide ranging proposal emphasizing tax cuts and taking aim at president obama's health care reform law and proposes scaling back federal spending to 2008 levels. the republicans want to repeal the health care law, roll back spending, establish strict budget caps and reform federal mortgage lending. the plan also calls for tougher border security and a ban on

federal funding of abortions. the gop hopes to tap into an angry electorate by coming down hard on the obama administration it describes as an arrogant and out-of-touch government of self-appointed elites makes decisions, issue mandates and requesting the input of the and the plan is not unlike the contract with america that republicans used back in 1994 to win back control of the house. and the white house has responded to the pledge saying that, quote, it's a plan to take back back the same failed economic policy that caused the recession. it will be formally unveil dad at a hardware store in virginia. terrell, back to you. >> the battle goes on. >> indeed. >> thank you so much. the republican pledge six months after health care reform was passed by congress. today the first real benefits of the new law kick in including free immunizations for children, free preventive care like mammograms and cholesterol

screenings barring insurers from canceling coverage with people get sick and allowing young adults to stay on the family plans until age 26. as we reported, president obama is new york. he spoke last night at a democratic fund-raiser but he wasn't the only one with something to say. >> i want to talk a little bit about our efforts here at home. >> president obama -- >> -- where this country. >> the heckle lers demanded more funding for aids action. in congress the house committee investigating the summer's salmonella outbreak got an apology from the owner of the iowa egg factory where it started but lawmakers got a little more than that, as joel brown reports this morning. >> reporter: it was the first public apology from the owner of an iowa farm whose eggs sent hundreds of people to the hospital sick with salmonella. >> we apologize to everyone who may have been sickened by eating our eggs.

i have prayed several times each day for all of these people. >> reporter: but this wasn't a first offense. austin decoster has pald millions in fines for health and safety violations over the last 20 years. >> you are a habitual violator of basic safety standards. >> reporter: lawmakers displayed photos of filthy conditions at wright county egg. >> this isn't something that just happened overnight. that manure pile is about seven to eight feet tall seeping through cracks. you've got dead mice, dead chickens, you've got maggots. that stuff just didn't happen. >> reporter: and the company apparently knew it had a problem. a congressional investigation found wright county eggs tested positive for salmonella hundreds of times up to two years before the recall. the fda is urging congress to pass new legislation giving it more power to order recalls and enforce safety standards. some victims of the salmonella outbreak agreed. >> the infection wiped me out to the point where i was unable to

function. >> reporter: 77-year-old carol laboto almost died and says if congress does nothing, she's afraid it could happen again. joel brown, cbs news, washington. the defense department confirmed all nine coalition troops killed in a helicopter crash tuesday in afghanistan were americans. they included five soldiers from the 101st air-borne division and four sailors including three navy s.e.a.l.s. the military says it was not enemy fire that caused the crash. new evidence this morning that iraqi dictator saddam hussein was in the an ally or supporter of al i could doo from new declassified notes on the interrogation of a member of saddam inner circle telling he delighted in al qaeda bombings of u.s. embassies but did not trust osama bin laden or other islamic militants. just ahead, details about a recall of baby formula plus save the whales.

a desperate fight to rescue beached whales in new zealand. he's in charge of our economic recovery. how is it going? tonight, i'll speak with treasury secretary timothy geithner in an exclusive interview only on the "cbs evening news." ing sale prices. download your coupon at sears.com/savings. plus, apparel clearance is up to 80% off. sears. everyone has someone to go heart healthy for. who's your someone? campbell's healthy request can help. low cholesterol, zero grams trans fat, and a healthy level of sodium. it's amazing what soup can do. look at all this stuff for coffee. oh there's tons. french presses, expresso tampers, filters. it can get really complicated. not nearly as complicated as shipping it, though. i mean shipping is a hassle. not with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that is easy. best news i've heard all day! i'm soooo amped!

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while you've been building your life, plaque may have been building in your arteries. ask your doctor if crestor can help and go to crestor.com to get a free trial offer. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. in new zealand volunteers are desperately trying to save pilot whales stranded on a remote beach. only 24 of more than 80 beached whales still survive. volunteers are trying to keep them wet until they can be taken to another beach to be re-floated. the second mass beaching in the region in a month. on the "cbs moneywatch" a quiet day for asian stocks this morning. ashley morrison in new york with more. good morning to you. >> good morning to you, terrell. stock markets in japan, china and hong kong were closed for a holiday. this morning, most of the asian benchmarks finished lower yesterday. on wall street there was some profit taking yesterday.

the dow dropped 21 points, while the nasdaq shed 14. abbott laboratories is recalling millions of containers of similac infant formula, it may be contaminated with insect parts. abbott says the products may contain a small beetle or lar va which could cause stomachaches and digestion problems. the voluntary recall affects up to five million products sold in the u.s., puerto rico and the caribbean but not any liquid formulas. more than half of the distressed homeowners who enrolled in the administration's mortgage relief program have dropped out. the number of homes repossessed rose 25% in august from a year ago. just over 50% of the homeowners who applied to get their mortgage payments lowered in august were disqualified. that's up 48% from july. starbuck's says it is raising prices on some coffees. the coffee giant said the price

of green coffees are close to a 13-year high claiming to raise the price of labor-intensive and larger beverages. for now the price of its most popular beverages including certain espressos remains the same. terrell. >> ashley morrison in new york for us this morning. thank you so much. nine middle school students in washington state were hospitalized after popping prescription pills. they got sick tuesday after apparently taking drugs for depression and pain. one student's stomach was pumped. parents and teachers discussed the incident at a meeting last night. one student who did not take the drugs said it was peer pressure. >> maybe because they thought it probably be fun, which it's not, and they just wanted to say, yeah, because maybe if they thought they said no they would get made fun of. >> the nine students were suspended, two may be arrested on drug charges. police believe a student brought the drugs from home.

straight ahead, your thursday morning weather. plus in sports, going all out for battle for first place in the national league west. until you look at the gumline. the problem is, you could have plaque along your gumline that can lead to gingivitis. in fact, one in two adults actually has gingivitis and might not even know it. fortunately, there's new crest pro-health clinical gum protection toothpaste. it helps remove plaque at the gumline, helping prevent gingivitis. and it's even been clinically proven to help reverse it... in just four weeks. it also protects these other areas dentists check most. new crest pro-health clinical toothpaste. for healthier gums. [ female announcer ] we've got stains, down to a science.

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time for chaefk the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows a clear sky overhead in the southeast and southwest. the middle of the country has cloud cover as a large storm system takes shape. the northwest has scattered clouds rolling in and of the same in the northeast but on the way out. later today severe thunderstorms could be trouble for the midwest and great lakes some. late-day thunderstorms will form over portions of florida. heat and humidity on the rise from the east coast from the southeast and the northed west is looking cooling with scattered showers. in sports, san diego first place now in the national league west. the highlights now. padres and dodgers in los angeles. miguel tejada hit his 300th career home run against the dodgers. san diego hung on, help from aaron cunningham's diving catch in center field. san diego, 3-1. puts them back in the division lead, up a half game now over san francisco. philadelphia, raul ibanez, two-out double in the eighth, the only run of the game.

will phillies shut out the braves 1-0 their ten sth straight win, the two-time national league championship number to four. tampa bay used the long ball to tighten things up in the american league east. carl crawford and evan longoria -- back-to-back homers in the seventh inning. the 7-2 victory pulls them within a game and a half for the division lead. and jeff francoeur, of the rangers, scored orchon this. the rarnz's number for winning the american league west down to four. when we come back, another look at the morning's top stories and a mississippi woman helping her town luls the fat and the results are amazing. [ female announcer ] stay once... stay twice... earn a free night! two separate stays at comfort inn or any of these choice hotels can earn you a free night -- only when you book at choicehotels.com.

on the "cbs morning news," a look at today's weather. autumn officially here but the soekt with above average

temperatures and humidity levels. the midwest looking for a large storm system in the works. here's another look at the top stories on a thursday morning. president obama preparing to deliver his second address to the spun general assembly today. his speech will cover a wide range of issues, ranging from terrorism to the economic crisis. also today, republicans will unveil their campaign agenda for the november election. the gop pledge to america calls for repealing health care reform and blocking tax hikes for the wealthiest americans. a mississippi woman is making a pledge of her own and it's no small task. she's working to help her entire community get in shape and the response has been staggering. >> reporter: one saturday a month just after sunrise in vicksburg, mississippi, linda fondrin gets ready for a walk.

and nearly 100 friends, neighbors and perfect strangers tag along. >> thank you for walking with us today. >> reporter: linda is on a mission to slim down her entire home town. >> people want to do better. so, the challenge for them is get out there and do it. you take the lead. you go. >> reporter: linda never struggled with her weight but her sister, mary, did, when she died of cancer linda vowed to help others like her sister lead healthier lives. she began by opening a gym just for women. last fall, she challenged them and the rest of the community of nearly 25,000 to lose weight together. she began organizing walks and exercise classes. >> you get to come together in an environment where people look like you, have the same problem as you, so you begin to not feel so bad about yourself and you think, there's hope. >> reporter: in the past year, the city of vicksburg has lost a

combined 15,000 pounds. and there's no stopping them. angie wilkinson has dropped nearly 30 pounds. she now walks for her brother who died of heart failure in march. >> the day he died, he told me how proud he was because i stuck with it. >> we're going to be an example, from the fattest to the fittest. >> reporter: while this town has already lost thousands of pounds, they've gained a lot more in return. >> you're great for continuing on. >> new research this morning sports growing evidence the been gits of mammograms are limited and a study in norway women in their 50s and 60s who got one every other year reduced their risk offing from breast cancer by only 10% compared with those who didn't get the exam. last year the u.s. government task force said women should start getting mammograms at age 50 , instead of 40. in new orleans an effort to raise awareness for breast

cancer research create a record-breaking king cake. you've got to take a look at this. the cake weighed over 4,000 pounds and went all the way around the superdome. yesterday the guinness book of world records named it the world's largest king cake. actor joaquin phoenix explained his hoax to david letterman. he looked skrag gelly and unkempt making an appearance on the show in 2009. last night, he came on looking alert and clean-shaven to apologize to dave, part of a performance for a new film, which has just been released. this morning on "the early show," puppy-proofing your home to make sure that your pet is safe in your house. i want one on the set. i'm terrell. that's coming up on "the early show." this is the "cbs morning news." ♪ get up, get moving. subway has breakfast. and it's a slam dunk. i like my breakfast sandwich with green peppers, onion, banana peppers and mustard.

i like eggs with black forest ham on wheat. with everything. i like a little kick. that's a good call. i like mine with egg whites. and... a napkin. [ male announcer ] have you built your better breakfast? now's the time! try our better-for-you western egg white muffin melt or the dee-licious double bacon egg and cheese on toasty flatbread. subway. build your better breakfast. on toasty flatbread. words alone aren't enough. our job is to listen and find ways to help workers who lost their jobs to the spill. i'm iris cross. we'll keep restoring the jobs, tourist beaches, and businesses impacted by the spill. we've paid over $400 million in claims and set up a $20 billion independently-run claims fund. i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. i'm gonna be here until we make this right.

good morning. i'm andrea roane. here's some stories we are following for you. today president obama will address the united nations general assembly in new york. he's expected to defend his efforts to advance middle east peace and combat nuclear threats in iran and north korea. six months after the president signed the health care bill in to law, many of the key provisions kick in. starting today, parents can keep their adult children on their health insurance plans until age 26. coverage for children with preexisting conditions no longer can be denied and insurers can no longer set

lifetime caps on coverage. we say good morning to person been. what's in store for us after that wake up from mother nature last night? >> fall is the new summer, right? temperatures in the 90s today. yesterday 95. not a record at national. 94 dulles. a touch of fog in cumberland this morning. visible three-quarterss of a mile. everyone else is in decent shape with clear to partly cloudy skies. lower 60s in a few spots and even in martinsburg, the mountains in west virginia but cumberland reporting fog. we have areas we don't have observations from but watch out for couple of patches of fog and more heat today. near the 80s near the bay. annapolis 84. ten degrees warmer in culpeper and winchester 92 here which is about 15 above average for this time of the year. angie? >> we are feeling it. okay. right now we are dealing with

debris on the roadway in silver spring. 185 southbound at viers mill road we are losing the right lane. 270, southbound construction there at montgomery village avenue and northbound watch for it at 189. 86 is clear to the -- 66 is clear though beltway. looked like a scene from a horror movie, sea of fink bugs marching across a frederick county, home. they are all over from the district to west virginia. here's james hash just back from hazardous duty. >> i have had it. we have all had it. even here has had it. >> reporter: you could say there is something bugging this urbana resident. this is the the culprit. houses are crawling with the invasive pests on the walls, in

the windows, everywhere. >> all of urbana is covered in stink bugs. >> reporter: not just urbana, the stink bug has infested the region from arlington, annapolis, bethesda to baltimore. the bugs, native to asia, were noticed a dozen years in pennsylvania and had been spreading since. >> never seen anything like these. >> god, do they stink. >> it comes as a means of self defense and if smelling bad isn't enough. >> they do bite and we have been bitten and they stink horrible and they are coming in the house. >> reporter: there are a few residents of the farm that don't mind the bugs. >> our chickens love them. >> reporter: but with thousands of bugs. >> more than they can handle because we only have ten chickens. they will fade away what colder weather and they will be back next summer and if you are not familiar with them, you will be.

james hash, 9 news now. >> i feel her pain. we did digging and found the insecticide talstar pro is the best way to deal with the stink bugs if you use them on a regular basis. otherwise seal your house and fill in the cracks in the siding and windows and utility pipes. from the first local station with news in high definition this is 9 news now. good morning. welcome to 9 news now. today is thursday, september 23rd. i'm andrea roane. angie goff is here with traffic debris in the roadway. >> yes, but no bugs. >> one was in my car. i almost went straight in to a tree to get rid of it. >> no, don't do that. >> i didn't but -- >> even the pesticides are not too likely because the things can fly 200-yards. if you treat your house they can come from the neighbors. >> seal it up